Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Although we reached safe and sound, one arrived at the entrance with unintended two-tone jeans while the other one had to fork extra for a cab to avoid the rain, the hassle and arrive fashionable. Nothing wrong with that, of course, especially after a gruesome camp in some exotic part of Malaysia.

Even with the heavy morning shower, which had gradually reduced to a cooling drizzle, the view from the top floor of the historical hotel was pleasant - with the Singapore Flyer standing between the Esplanade and the future Marina Bay Sands. Imagine a sunset dinner in the restaurant, which resembles a lantern room, followed by some time at the balcony with wine in hand, overlooking the prominent landscape of the lion city. Sounds great to me.

We were here for the Italian Prosecco Sunday Brunch that came with free-flowing house wines and yes, prosecco. It didn't take long for us to make a reservation when I read about it in a complimentary daily. It's still very much ala carte here. Initially, we'd devised a plan to order an appetizer or dessert just and pace ourselves with the dish to keep the prosecco pouring until their very last bottle. A study of their menu changed our minds. So, from a supposedly antipasti OR dolci, we went for a full course instead.

It should be easy to identify those dishes decided by me, right? The grilled pork cheek came highly recommended and cheek being made of some collagen, gave smooth texture and was additionally flavoured with the subtle sweetness of pumpkin and green apple. Now, if only they'd serves this as a main...with a dozen pieces of such. That's bliss. My ragout must have been drowned with a fat wine, for the taste was wonderfully dense. Topped with some pecorino, I enjoyed it very much. Somehow a trait of fine-dines, the portion could have been more generous. It is afterall, partially breakfast and we definitely need the energy to last the day (and the prosecco). I didn't hear of any complaint on the poached egg but the tuna, with its tad saltiness, would have been a suitable filling for the complimentary warm, fluffy bread instead of being served as a secondi. There's nothing ricotta cheese can't fix in a dessert, like in the case of the cannoli. It would have been better if the pastry was more refined. Then again, I've not had any cannoli that has an egg-roll like texture. So, what's the difference between a tiramisu and a Venetian style tiramisu? I'm afraid I don't know. But I know my kind of tiramisu must consist of sponges heavily soaked in kahlua or cognac and with covered with a good amount of mascarpone and sprinkled with a strong-tasting chocolate. A simple demand, I feel. This one was dull.

It's amazing how we gorged the prosecco continuously and yet, were able to discuss food and snapped some photos of the bay. What's even more impressive was the fact that we, in our inebriated state, managed to take a bus to Orchard Road and continued on wandering aimlessly, stopping at the stalls at Ion Orchard for snacks.

Sometimes, we still talk about The Lighthouse. I guess what magnetizes us is the fact that the menu consists of creative and less conventional ideas. A revisit sounds workable but first, we must make sure that it won't rain that day. I'm not quite the two-tone jeans fan.

ooh i googled this immediately cos i lurve dining with a view. 8th floor isn't quite as high as we'd like, but the history of the place makes it really appealing. imagine sipping wine at the exact spot where lighthouse workers spent their evenings 50 years ago guiding ships safely into port. ok, i'm a sucker for that kinda stuff :D

lyrical lemongrass, can't remember how much i had but definitely not as much as during the unforgettable prosecco party at fbb's. and yupe, definitely a lovely brunch. ;)

sean, cool! i know what you mean! it's like traveling back in time, with a glass of prosecco in hand! this place has got character. and kudos to the hotel for the good conservation job. oh, i forgot to mention the great view of the fireworks come national day too! ;D

tummythoz, thanks! yeah, i was kinda disappointed too, given the fact that this is a recommended Italian restaurant. i coulda ordered more pipi babi...hehehe.

unkaleong, thanks so much, bro! too bad i couldnt join y'all for the party. hey, we should meet up this cny! time to makan!!!